I just stumbled on this book--the synopsis sounds horrendous, but I think it may be among my favorite titles ever: The Dewey Decimal System of Love

It gives me ideas about a follow up to that Flava Flav dating show; it would star asthmatic scholarly types wanting to date Janine Garofolo (or me, but I don't think I'd have the public draw of Ms. Garofolo).[/i]

I had to laugh when I saw a book entitled "Women who love men, who hate women". I think I should write the sequel "Women who love men, who hate women that love them but love women who hate men". I already did the research.

Jeezy Creezy wrote:I had to laugh when I saw a book entitled "Women who love men, who hate women". I think I should write the sequel "Women who love men, who hate women that love them but love women who hate men". I already did the research.

I think the sequel should be self-referential. 'Women who love men who hate Women who love men, who hate women'.

If you google it you can find a lot of piss takes of the title. Don;t think it will be one I add to my reading list.

I once read a book entitled "Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood" about ADHD. I really enjoyed it even though I don't think I have ADHD at least I...shit what was I saying. Anyhoo it had lots of amusing stories of other peoples problems. Pity I could only get half way through. Anyone else enjoy this genre or self-help books?

Modernist prose tends to bore my face off and I run a mile when I see the word 'experimental', so I've never checked out Johnson despite my beloved Jonathan Coe having written his biography. But a book I started reading yesterday begins by talking about him, and this morning I stumbled across a blog entry about him, so I wonder if the gods of literature are guiding me Johnsonwards.

He's great. He's an amazing storyteller that just happened to be experimental. His writing is not at all show-offy as far as I can telll; it is interesting and emotional and all sorts of things you don't expect from experimental fiction. You can borrow The Unfortunates off me, if you want!

humblebee wrote:Oh, that'd be brilliant - thanks! That's the book mentioned at the start of this Clough biog.

Is it? In what context?

I can guarantee you'll go fucking mental for BS Johnson Pete. that book is an odd one to start with though, it's a collection of chapters in a box that can be read in any order. also it's incredibly autobiographical / self indulgent as it describes him walking around a strange city (it's unnamed but it's nottingham) to report on a football match thinking about his mate who died of cancer. it does have a positive architecural assessment of nottingham station though.

get 'christie malorys own double entry'. it's not about man having sex with his mouth and arse at the same time it's a very dark satire about the misery of work and why the working class vote conservative and alienatation and stuff.

by the way that coe biography is easily the best biography i've ever read. it's as much about the art of biography as it is about johnson.

When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick.'